Candidate McBride Calls For The Immediate Firing of John Pedersen, City Manager, DRC Treasurer After News Reports Of Controversies Around SuperBlock Purchases.
City Manager Pedersen will be on a month to month contract with the city of Myrtle Beach beginning next week. His contract renewal was intentionally left off the city council agenda items last Tuesday. Questions remain around the city’s intentions to continue his employment .
Just before last night’s final Myrtle Beach Mayoral debate, Candidate for Mayor, Mark McBride called for the city of Myrtle Beach to immediately fire Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen.
Pedersen is embroiled in controversies that surround the purchase of a Superblock property located 507 9th Avenue North. Under Pedersen’s supervision, and acting as the Downtown Redevelopment Corporation’s (DRC) Treasurer, the DRC purchased the property for $325,000 last March. Horry County land tax records assess the property as being worth $89,800.00.
When news of the purchase was revealed by McBride on October 11th, City Manager Pedersen told local TV WMBFnews, “This is an ordinary transaction in every way.”
Pedersen explained to the Myrtle Beach Sun News, “The $100,000 option was negotiated on an unimproved building, while the DRC’s purchase price [$325,000] was negotiated on a building that had been improved, had a usable second floor and had two ongoing businesses in it,” Pedersen told the Myrtle Beach Sun News. “You would expect to pay more for a property that’s been improved as opposed to one that’s almost falling in on itself.”
A copy of Myrtle Beach city building permit records, that MyrtleBeachSC.com received in a FOIA request, shows the expected improvements were estimated on a city of Myrtle Beach form to be only $1,750.00.
The property was purchased by Holly Family, LLC on March 24, 2017 from Schiller Property LLC for $100,000 and then immediately sold to the DRC for $325,000.
Neither David Sebock, DRC Executive Director (who signed the purchase document), Chuck Martino – DRC Board Chairman, Mayor Rhodes, Councilman Lowder, or Councilman Wallace have been willing to address the controversy before the press. Councilman Wallace has posted and reprinted other’s statements on his Facebook pages.
Candidate McBride asked all of the above to come forward and give a public accounting to the residents of Myrtle Beach.
Among his request that the City Manager be fired immediately, McBride also requested: City Council cut off all funding to the DRC, City Council take all of David Sebok’s, DRC Executive Director, city retirement benefits as McBride explains Sebok is not a city employee, and McBride also requested that Mayor Rhodes, Councilman Wallace, and Councilman Lowder publicly address the controversies around this matter before the local press.
City Manager Pedersen will be on a month to month contract with the city of Myrtle Beach beginning next week. His contract renewal was intentionally left off the city council agenda items last Tuesday. Questions remain around the city’s intentions to continue his employment .
